Time for a short roundup of what’s going to be announced soon. As usual be sure to follow SAR the next days and week. Now mark these dates on your calendar:
Late August (the 29?): Sony NEX-5t, 16-70mm E-mount lens and a third product (the ILC-3000?) will be announced.
September 4: Sony Honami i1, The two QX lens cameras and new action cameras.
Late September (24?): Sony first Full Frame NEX photocamera with first Zeiss Full Frame lenses!
Possible surprises could be: New A-mount mirrorless strategy presentation (Still not sure about that yet!), NEX-7 successor, more A and E-mount lenses.
Personal note: Because of all this rumor work my vacation was a mess 🙁 Anyway, I have to look at the bright side. Sony is on the verge to announce two possible game changing products. The QX series and the NEX-FF series. You rarely can live moments of innovation like this! And watch out SAR for the next rumors, I already know there is some terrific surprise 🙂
Support: I upgraded my server plan to be able to avoid any blackout during the next intense weeks. I would be glad if you can help me to cover these extra costs with a small donation. Thanks!
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
138 Responses
when are you gonna make god damn telephoto prime lens for nex cameras?…
They don’t simply get to make new lenses but only make new cameras.
I don’t think Andrea designs or makes any lenses, telephoto or not…
+1
I totally disagree. When I buy an e-mount full frame, I will use sigma lenses and adapters for Nikon. No expensive Sony lenses for me.
NEX 5T on August 29? What´s up with NEX announcement tomorrow?
yeah what about it
Where is the nex 7 successor? I am waiting for this one
… me too …
Where did the NEX7 successor disappear to? I’ve been waiting for months now…
I still have no 100% confirmation. I will have it soon don’t worry!
And what´s up with SEL-85 F1.8(4) and SEL-55150F28G and NEX-7N?
that’s all on the unconfirmed waiting list. I will get 100% definiteve answers soon!
NEX FF, GH3 like NEX, and possibly mirrorless A-mount?
Sounds like a great X-Mas for Sony.
Was QX the rumored ‘hybrid mount’?
For all the new cameras we need lenses and I don´t get it why all the serious stuff include lenses always released by Sony in the cold winter period. For us Europeans it makes no sense.
At September 4 will be the IFA press conference. Of course there will be an announcement but why we have pictures from Honami but not from NEX-5T, NEX-7N or the new lenses, if that launched before Honami? Only NEX-3N, NEX-5T, SEL20F28 and possibly SEL1670xx is not really a great NEX year. Look at the mFT-announcment last weeks… They loose marketshare to mFT and Canikon DSLR and the only reaction is a very expensive FF NEX with 2 lenses, which surely will be released 2014, 3-4 months later after announcement and then nobody can buy it because it is “out of stock”?
For A-Mount users it´s not better.
Sony is very innovative and make some great products but the announcement to release timeframe is bit of frustrating.
Agreed. Peoples attention span is very short & they will soon forget your product if they cant buy it soon.
What is the point of announcing a product then not having availability for 6 months?
Products should be announced & then be in the stores THE NEXT DAY (or at least pretty darn soon i.e. within a month) for people to buy!
Nuts!
thing is that companies need to be able to gauge the popularity of its products before manufacturing it in mass.
> Peoples attention span is very short & they will soon forget your product if they cant buy it soon.
That’s why you keep hammering it steadily into their minds. First with leaked rumors, then an official announcement, them a stream of “exclusive” previews & tidbits like developer statements, experiences from a well-known photographer etc.
> What is the point of announcing a product then not having availability for 6 months?
The point is simply to keep you from buying a competing product. Sony doesn’t know that you personally won’t do it – they operate with statistics & percentages and their marketing research tells them that they will have a more successful launch (=more people decide to not buy at the competition) if they hype the market.
There are some major disadvantages to this, though:
– If you announce something early and then have technical problems finishing your product (like Canon had with the EOS 1D X) potential customers may decide to a buy competing product that gets earlier to market (Nikon D4).
– By disclosing technical specifications early the competition may modify their own products to better fit the target group, for example, by increasing the performance a little or incorporating software changes.
> Products should be announced & then be in the stores THE NEXT DAY (or at least pretty darn soon i.e. within a month) for people to buy!
Pretty much all tech companies now operate with announcement dates and launch dates, though there are some companies where these dates are not so far apart. Nikon and Samsung often have only a month or two between these dates, while others may test the waters longer…
“Was QX the rumored ‘hybrid mount’?”
Considering the QX doesn’t have a mount, how can it be a hybrid mount?
Hello SAR, is there any chance we get a nex-6 or 7 replacement without the aa filter abytime soon?
I want a nex but its getting hard to pass up on full frame deals like these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261264132619?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
I will try my best to hold out a while longer. Its just crazy seeing a basically new a900 go for so cheap. A legendary camera indeed.
That camera is indeed a classic, almost ‘vintage’
The A-900 was Sony’s only TRUE pro camera. The A-99 with it’s inferior EVF and lack of weatherproofing, to name but 2 problems, doesn’t even come close to being a pro camera. The A-900 is a tank. It will take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’, which is what most pro users need. The A-99 and a full frame NEX might take pretty pictures… as long as they work, but they just aren’t rugged enough. Reliability trumps technology every time.
Wow, nice. I wish you would be around when we had some discussions on dPreview forums with people bashing A900 for being poorly build comparing to the competition.
The A99 is weather resistant and an EVF is not inferior to an OVF. There you have it.
Who told you the A99 isn’t weather sealed?
most be my a77 got cover by a wave and still works.
The a99 is amazing, it made me sell my 5d3.
It’s weather sealed , has an amazing evf (like all moddern cameras should have) and the best feeling in hand to any SLR ever created. The grip fits in ones hand in a way that no other camera does, it becomes one with you. What you see in the evf is what you get. I’d take my a99 and 85cz over anything on the market today. A99 is when innovation meets class . Only people that haven’t used it for a week speak bad of it.
Sounds all great, I can only agree with most others.
What happened to the 13/14th announcment ?
And yeah NEX7 news would be handy dandynalso whats going on with that 85mm
Only time will tell………
Waiting for some Nex firmware update too !!!! 🙂
Could it be that the ILC-3000 replaces the NEX 6?
I know that was not what the rumor was saying, but I think it would make some sense. If the 5T will get a new menu system the 7 will probably too. That alone would leave the 6 in a wired spot. Replacing the NEX with a more DSLR shaped version would also separate more between 6 and 7. For me it would make more sense to have a DSLR shaped mirrorless on the high end (like GH3) than on the low end.
My guess is that they will have ILC-5xxx and ILC-7xxx for the high end (more like GH3). ILC-3000 might just undercut the G6 (which is selling well).
So you are suggesting they will do three lines of semi/pro cameras? A-Mount, E-Mount DSLR Style, E-Mount NEX? This might be a little bit too much for the small mirrorless market. My assumption was that ILC is more like an internal name. I guess we will see in late august.
True, but if for Sony.
In the long run there will only be the E-Mount its a smart move.
This way you get the brick fellas and the dslr shape fellas into the same boat. Like olympus with pen and om-d series, yes they still got the A-Mount. But since the near future of A Mount us without a Mirror or translucent mirror, well why not just go for the NEX in the long run
My guess is the ILC will be the new A mount not nex. The first A mount camera series that was radical by introducing integrated auto focus was x000. Seems fitting for sony to use the same numbering for a new historical series – first non slr/slt cameras with a mount
This is just my opinion. All i’m saying is, i won’t be surprised to see a high end along with entry level ‘NEX-with-dslr-grip’ cameras. The market is there, look at the Panasonic G6 and GH3 cameras; they’re selling really well.
3 semi-pro lines? I don’t consider the current NEX cameras semi-pro. I guess you can use it in a professional manner, meaning paid work. But i don’t think it handles all day use and abuse as well as the larger metal bodies. And this is what cameras like the new GH3 have addressed. Mirrorless, with a tough dslr grade body.
What i would like to see is a GH3 like body mirrorless, FF sensor, minor artifacts and crisp video, fast enough AF tracking for some moving subjects, 5-axis ibis, AND .. Either FF SLT A-mount Adapter for really fast AF lock/tracking speed, Or hybrid mount.
My post was not meant as an offense. I have no inside knowledge so it is just my opinion too. I consider the NEX a Semi-Pro Line because of the they way it differentiates it self from the compact camera market. Maybe enthusiast is a better word.
Never the less we share the same opinion that Sony is about to or should produce something like the GH3 or OMD that is even more robust than the current housing of the NEX6/7 that already are (partly) metal.
NEX-7 is extremely well-built. At least as good as a GH3.
I hope not! i like the nex6 and i’m looking for a NEX 6 replacement/improvement, but preserving the shape/size
I don’t like the NEX7 tri-nav and the nex 7 is too high level/expensive for me. NEX 6 positioning is just perfect… but with many details to improve (better sensor, better PDAF, crop video zoom….)
Which product is game changer for average people who recognize only Canon and Nikon as camera making brands?
If the so called A-mount mirrorless has the AF technology as Canon 70D, it may win the game.
It needs to be much better then 70D to withstand the market pressure. Especially in low-light and AF-C shots.
16-70mm?
More specs known already?
For all the new cameras we need lenses and I don´t get it why all the serious stuff include lenses always released by Sony in the cold winter period. For us Europeans it makes no sense.
At September 4 will be the IFA press conference. Of course there will be an announcement but why we have pictures from Honami but not from NEX-5T, NEX-7N (currently I doubt it will announced this year…) or the new lenses, if that launched before Honami? Only NEX-3N, NEX-5T, SEL20F28 and possibly SEL1670xx is not really a great NEX year. Look at the mFT-announcment last weeks… They loose marketshare to mFT and Canikon DSLR and the only reaction is a very expensive FF NEX with 2 lenses, which surely will be released 2014, 3-4 months later after announcement and then nobody can buy it because it is “out of stock”?
For A-Mount users it´s not better.
Sony is very innovative and make some great products but the announcement to release timeframe is bit of frustrating
Too many version of Sony cameras…
Guess half price discount for nex 5 & 7 soon!! ;p
Sweet. To learn on the 13th that the 14th announcement that everybody has been waiting for for weeks just POOF ! disappeared ?!? What a bunch of crap…. I can’t figure out why Sony would take that freaking long and let dedicated NEX users in the dark, just getting dejected and wanting to dump the whole system, what a shame.
No need to flame me guys, I’ve actually decided to re-buy as cheap as I can a used 7 and just keep on shooting it with it’s limitations, period. But I still think Sony’s “announcement” policy here is both assdumb and rotten for us who are faithful to the system.
+1
Well does the word rumor ring a bell? This is a rumor site, not an officialy Sony site. Sony never announced that they will have an announcement the 14th. So there was a mistake published here, well that do happen on rumorsides you know… I think people should realize that they can’t blame Sony that a rumor is wrong.
About the sate of the announcement compared with the M43 I doubt Sony knows when the other brands will come with a new camera. And for Panasonic, it was time they came with an exiting new camera, as they only repacked their old cameras in new boxes long enough now.
For Andrea: I do not blame you for wrong rumors, better to be wrong sometimes, then miss a rumor at all, thanks for you great work!
We don´t blame Andrea. We blame Sony for frustrating announcement/release policy. The announcement-day on August 13/14 was marked as SR4…
It´s also strange that there are leaks for Honami with lenses, but no real leaks for NEX-5 and NEX-7 successor or new NEX lenses short before IFA announcement.
IFA announcement day is not really a rumor. I can tell you that on September 5 2104 Sony will announce on the IFA press conference 2014 new stuff and there will also be the Photokina after the IFA 2014. Looking like a lame NEX and A-Mount year again because all the serious lenses and cameras pushed back to 4.Q 2014 because of Photokina … How long E- and A-mount users still have to wait for outdoor portrait lense for NEX, weather/ dust sealed NEX-7 successor, much better AF-performance for NEX, firmware updates for NEX and A-Mount, longer makro for NEX, high performance zoom, tele-zoom for NEX, A77 successor, 200/2.0 Zeiss (yes it was also rumored), 400/4, cheaper 85/1.8, than the Zeiss Sal-85F14, more SSM-lenses like a SAL-24105G SMM for FF etc.
Sorry, I mean September 5 2014 as Sony IFA 2014 press conference 😉
Well SR4 stand for Sony RUMOR 4. So it still is a rumor. SR5 is close to absolute, but SR4 is not. You can’t blame Sony for not doing what a rumor site say that Sony might do.
People should stop looking at rumors when they can’t handle it when a rumor happens to be wrong.
Sony is going true a transformation in the way they work, maybe not a new camera every year, maybe only real changes in camera technology when bringing a new camera.
And maybe it is good that Andrea is wrong, maybe the rumor about the not very exiting new camera is wrong too…
Andrea I love what you are doing for this site, hope you will keep on doing this for a long time….
“We don´t blame Andrea. We blame Sony for frustrating announcement/release policy. The announcement-day on August 13/14 was marked as SR4…”
Do you even read what you write?
SR4 is a very high rating and the announcement was recalled by Andrea in SR5 rumors…
And yes, Sony´s announcement policy makes no sense. For 10 years their old product policy made more sense. New camera stuff right before summer vacation with Spring anouncements. TV, AV-R, projectors, DVD (now BD) etc. in 4.Q right before christmas. First NEX-5 came in June/July. Why now a NEX-5T (mid class NEX, not an high-end NEX) release in September or October? I´m not much interested in the NEX-5T (more NEX-7N) but I´m interested in new lenses. Waiting a long time for the G Lens and the SEL-85F18 (midtele prime) from the Sony roadmap …
Are you serious? There was no announcement on August 13/14, it was a rumor marked SR4. So this has nothing to see with any Sony policy whatsoever. Why would you blame Sony for it?
Vlad you don´t get it. What i mean has nothing to do with the SR rating here by Andrea but I understand why many users are now dissapointed because the high rating announcement rumor was wrong (also Andrea never told that it pushed back) and they wait again for the “real” stuff after dissapointed small upgrades A58 and NEX-3N with SEL-20F28 and a new A-Mount Kit lense. There was nothing released between March and September.
The point is, Sony has wrong announcement to release strategy. I takes too long time and why all the stuff concentrate at 4.Q every year and Sony get´s in trouble that things they could release month before like NEX-5T could also pushed back to next year because of too high demand and productions issues and so Sony has nothing to sell. It has nothing to do with Andreas work! Please don´t mix it!
Why not more split releases in the year? Entry level in March, mid class like NEX-5/A-5x in June/July and Semi-Pro/Pro in Autumn right before IFA/Photokina?
The problem is that only when Sony launched new cameras they also launched new lenses… So how Sony want to produce all the new different cameras and lenses in one quartal in high quantity and with good quality management? Impossible, so I really doubt Sony will release a new NEX FF system this year and also new A-Mount FF in Spring/Summer 2014. Announcement is not release…
Ah, I see. Well, the way it was written, it was pretty much impossible not to mix it up.
Well, given the events in 2011 and the current strategy switch (alleged), I’d say it is quite normal what we see. Sony normally does close to what you want, and releases entry and mid-level during Spring-Summer and high end in Autumn.
Would love the 200 f2. Best portrait lens ever. Zeiss option might be £6000 though… I’m going to start saving just in case.
What a spoilt brat you are!
You guys are such haters it’s actually funny !
no, we just have a bit more maturity and understand that the world doesn’t always go the way we want it
besides, its only not posting because Andrea is not 100% certain yet
No need to flame you? How about trying to think for a second?
“But I still think Sony’s “announcement” policy here is both assdumb and rotten for us who are faithful to the system.”
There is no “Sony announcement policy” “here”. It’s a rumors website. And it’s not a re-li-gion.
Claire, I can relate to your feelings but it is probably better to just follow the rumors, keeping in mind that the realization often takes longer than expected, and not really selling camera equipment based on rumors. Most of us have a good camera system and it does not matter much to wait until a new product is released – or even reviewed – for real. And often it came out that the progress was less than expected and that the old gear is actually still good to use and keep. Having said that, it is really fun for me to follow the rumors, speculate on the future and hope for miracles 🙂 (and I just donated a little amount to Andrea for his great work, which lets me doing that). Best, Dirk
Claire, I can relate to your feelings but it is probably better to just follow the rumors, keeping in mind that the realization often takes longer than expected, and not really selling camera equipment based on rumors. Most of us have a good camera system and it does not matter much to wait until a new product is released – or even reviewed – for real. And often it came out that the progress was less than expected and that the old gear is actually still good to use and keep. Having said that, it is really fun for me to follow the rumors, speculate on the future and hope for miracles 🙂 (and I just donated a little amount to Andrea for his great work, which lets me doing that). Best, Dirk
I really apreciate all of your hard work Andrea & would love to donate to help towards the costs, but have one request before I donate…
Can you please please please sort out the commenting section! EVERY SINGLE COMMENT I make goes into moderation for minimum 1 hour, often more & have vanished altogether on occasion.
This is beyond frustrating if I wish to discuss a point with someone!
I have never used profanity here, can’t recall ever being abusive (though discussions can sometimes get heated!), & once used a link to a couple of my pictures to try to make a point, yet WITHOUT FAIL every comment goes into moderation.
Kind regards.
Hi, thanks for sharing with us all the new products!
I am waiting for sony Hybrid camera (A&E mount) for quite some time, do you have any update about it?
Thanks a lot !!
No game changer products, just overprice Sony cameras which won’t make any impact in the market. Nex is boring and mirror less sales have tanked, a pricey FF nex won’t change that.
Sony need to admit they made a mistake with SLT and put proper viewfinders back, or else actually price the new products in a competitive way.
I feel that the EVFs in my A77 and NEX-6 are “proper” viewfinders.
Somehow, the OVF in my A700 seems less “proper” since I got those two cameras.
Yeah, yeah, sure. The only company actually bringing game changing products is Sony.
admin, why don’t you just post some spec of the NEX-FF…even rumors spec(thats why this website exists)? We have been waiting for weeks and still waiting you to verify the spec received from your source…while you always said you are ‘very-sure’, ‘99% confirmed’ etc….
Andrea, it’s the 2nd time you mention it, can you tell us why your holiday was a mess? Now we’re curious! (Don’t worry, it’s your private life and I’m just kidding!) Thanks for the great work! (Waiting for more FF news though)
What’s about the NEX 7 successor? No news?
The 14th announcement had a “SR5” rating, memory serving me well ? I really appreciate Andrea’s hard work, that’s not the point, plus he’s only bringing out rumors that emanate from Sony. But we users have just been literally dragged along for so long about the 7 replacement it’s gotten ridiculous. People make selling/buying decisions based on “reliable” rumors, you know. We sell gear when an annoucement sounds plausible enough, in order to get the best value before prices plummet. Then all the sudden the mere mention of the replacement product just vanishes, and you’re left to try to rebuy at a good price. It’s just annoying…
Sorry to sound harsh Claire, but if you’re making selling/buying decisions based on a rumour site, then you’re an idiot.
Why don’t you do yourself a favour and simply stop reading this site and wait for OFFICIAL announcements? You’d be doing everyone else a favour as well, because we’d no longer have to put up with your constant feet stamping.
If you don’t want to sound harsh, then just don’t be ? Simple, huh 😉 In fact I really don’t mind your comments, but if mine annoy you why don’t you just skip them ? Again, pretty simple…
Sometimes you need to be harsh with a child when they start stamping their feet. Like a car crash, your comments are difficult to ignore.
No sweat, I’ll just ignore yours from now on 😉
+1
Won’t add much to what the Lotus Eater is saying, but you should definitely check the meaning of the word “rumor”, cause you seem to have real trouble grasping the concept.
Good to know that you are here with us Vlad … to explain the world around us…
Eisenvater, that’s what you can come up with, after your utter destruction last time?
There’s no reason to assume that rumors are emanating from Sony. They could come from anyone, including people employed by Sony, or people knowing someone who’s employed by Sony, but that doesn’t mean that Sony, the company, are spreading rumors.
Also, “when an announcement sounds plausible enough”? An official announcement from the manufacturer is 100% trustworthy. It means that they intend to release the announced product. But a rumor, even an SR5 rumor, is not an announcement from the manufacturer. It’s still just a rumor.
I could understand if you sold your NEX-7 after Sony had announced its successor, but they haven’t done that yet, and we have no idea when they will do so.
I’m eagerly waiting for a new 7-series NEX camera, but we’ll see. Sony hasn’t actually announced any dates – these are just rumors after all.
Sony should decide what they are going to do with the A-mount and E-mount and let the world know. Nobody wants to invest thousands in lenses if they can’t be sure about the future.
There’s too many NEX cameras;
NEX-3 and NEX-5 have a $50 price difference. Drop the NEX-3. There’s no need for a budget interchangeable lens camera. Those customers will never buy any lenses anyway and better served with a CyberShot.
NEX-6 and NEX-7 are identical in price at least in Norway. They are aimed at the same target group so Sony should just drop the NEX-6 or replace it with a DSRL-shaped new camera.
FF NEX won’t change anything. It will be a cool toy for those 37 people who have an extra $5000 to spend on their second camera. Pros will stick with the better performing DSLRs with better lens selection.
With the NEX-5 Sony is too afraid of cannibalizing their own sales, so the features will be limited. Maybe even to the point that price-conscious customers will buy cameras from other brands.
+1
“Sony should decide what they are going to do with the A-mount and E-mount and let the world know.”
– they already did.
Plan is to go with both mounts simultaneously, and according to SR5 rumor from not-so-far-ago the E-mount will be oriented on entry-level while A-mount will be oriented on high-end gear (still though a single cameras going beyond these frames will appear – like NEX-FF or low-end A camera).
@Sky_walker
“they already did.” – Where? I’m not aware of any announcement by Sony. Source? What is written on a rumor site doesn’t reflect Sony’s official strategy.
So why would full frame camera use an “entry-level” E-mount. Why would there be a $1000 fast zoom for a entry-level system. You are contradicting your own post. It doesn’t make any sense!
I’m not contradicting myself. You just don’t bother to read carefully.
As I mentioned – there will be gear that goes beyond usual frames. (BTW: I don’t know which exactly lens you are mentioning, but I guess it’s either for NEX-FF or FS-series camcoders)
The original rumor is here: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-yep-a-mount-is-for-high-end-e-mount-for-low-end-but-there-will-be-a-grey-zone-to/comment-page-1/
As for both mounts being kept alive – and what is exactly your source for the assumption that Sony will pick one or another mount?
Cause I can show you at lease several posts on SAR pointing out specifically that Sony will keep A-mount and NEX E-mount alive for a very long time – all from most trusted sources in Sony – something that’s quite contrary to the FUD that some people spread online in a comments or on the forums.
As for official source – as far as I remember in one of camera dinner interviews they moved this topic.
@Sky_walker I’m afraid it’s you who can’t read.
I’m not saying that Sony should choose one or the other, I’m saying that they should make it clear what are the differences, advantages and goals for each mount. At the moment the whole thing is just confusing users. The link you provided IS NOT an official statement, mind you.
Relatively more expensive E-mount lenses (never mind the reasons), the NEX 7-series and FF NEX doesn’t scream entry-level to me!
For just a moment, lets assume that Sony would add IBIS to NEX bodies resulting in cheaper lenses without OSS. Then give me a one good reason why two mounts would still make sense for Sony.
PS. Even if Sony was planning to kill the A-mount in five years time, they probably wouldn’t say it now, would they? Didn’t think so.
Calm down Marco, no need to get excited… 🙁
Why 37? do you happen to know those 37 people personally? 🙂
animalsbybarry will get two! That’s 38.
One possible market for a budget camera is schools and colleges that run photography courses. Price makes a difference when you want to buy 20 cameras. People used to buy Russian cameras for this just because the prices were low.
The 3 should do nicely for teaching the basics of photography.
So you would use your development resources to hit a $50 lower price point for education instead of just making it up in volume and streamlined production that would allow you to make higher profits and offer educational discounts if you wanted to? OK!
Thanks for at least mentioning the NEX-7 successor even though you don’t seem to have any infos, Andrea. Keeps my hopes up. 🙂
When is Sony going to put some serious effort into the pro community? We need a replacement for the A-900… and the A-99 certainly isn’t it! Frankly I’d be very happy with a sensor and processor upgrade to the existing A-900. I’d like increased ISO, no AA filter, a swing-out LCD, live tethering and auto switch between memory cards. No video needed, and definitely NO EVF! It’s also got to remain weatherproof.
there wont be OVF anymore, so you probably have to look elsewhere or adapt to new tech
SHORT AND TO THE POINT
“a sensor and processor upgrade to the existing A-900. I’d like increased ISO, no AA filter, a swing-out LCD, live tethering and auto switch between memory cards. No video needed, and definitely NO EVF! It’s also got to remain weatherproof.”
AMEN Brother, that pretty much covers it…. aside from faster continuous focusing.
You should buy a Canon or Nikon – they both specialise in those old fashioned cameras 😉
Seriously, you really shouldn’t expect Sony to bring back the OVF anytime soon. I really wouldn’t want them to either.
You’re obviously NOT a pro. No pro would risk his income on the current generation of EVFs. They simply are NOT detailed or accurate enough. Nature, landscape and sports photographers absolutely require weatherproof cameras and lenses, as well as devices that will “take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Since the demise of the A-900/850, Sony has not made one. As for Canon and Nikon, if it wasn’t for my huge investment in lenses I would have moved to Nikon when Sony bought Konica/Minolta. Fortunately, because of all of Konica/Minolta’s hard work, my A-900 will last quite a while longer.
Excuse me sir, can you please explain me your definition of PRO?
The one I usually accept is that of a photographer who takes photos for living.
Well, since it’s not my main job I don’t call myself a PRO, but it’s also because I keep my profile low.
Regards, Marco
1st I will apologize, because, especially in the digital era, the term pro has come to mean almost anybody who has sold an image. Prior to that it traditionally meant someone who was traditionally trained, either in post secondary institutions or by apprenticeship with another pro, had put in the time to truly learn his trade and did so as their primary source of income. Pros don’t usually have the luxury of looking out the window, seeing that it’s raining and doing something else. They don’t stay away from earthquakes and other disasters. They don’t stay away from riots. They need solid, reliable, high quality equipment. That’s what pro gear has always been about. The A-900 was just such a camera… a tank! On a photo trip to Antarctica a few years back, every Nikon or Canon camera froze up or became inoperative on at least one occasion. Only the A-900s came through unscathed. For us pros, who choose to shoot Sony cameras, NEX and e lenses just don’t cut it. Most pros only shoot FF and only shoot RAW. I DO have an RX 100 for street scenes and when I want to be unobtrusive, but if I am finally required to invest in a whole new set of lenses, I’m afraid they will be Nikon.
A pro camera is a camera which is big, black and produces loud clicks. Come on, even kids know that.
2 currymac:
Sony is not suggesting you to buy a whole new set of lenses. They’re going to make E mount bodies have good enough AF so A mount lenses will focus fast enough. And they’re going to make dual mount camera (sure, this would increase size somewhat, but you gain new possibilities with that).
Can we just get over this “PRO” thing?! I appreciate all that you’ve said about training and paying your dues as well as the need for a stable and reliable system for professional work. Disclaimer: I got out of Pro photography years ago but I do professional audio work and I feel the same way about my audio gear.
HOWEVER, just because you sir are a professional photographer does not mean that your opinion about OVF vs EVFs is the final word on whether one system is better for all professionals or not. I happen to appreciate the shortcoming of EVFs although I feel the benefits out weigh the downsides and were I still a working professional I think I would still feel the same way. There are many working professionals who DO like the EVF. There are even several who do work with NEX and other mirrorless cameras.
By all means express your opinion and feel free to believe that others agree with you (some definitely do) but let’s show some mutual respect here and not questions some’s merit or professional status because of whether they like EVFs or OVFs. It reflects poorly on you and your profession.
All that said, Hans is probably right, Sony seems to be moving away from OVFs and the chance of them releasing a traditional DSLR is very, very slim. I am sorry that that disappoints you and I would be sorry to loose another professional dedicated to the Minolta/Sony system as your work adds credence and street cred to the brand; however, that seems to be the reality.
Thank you for your reply.
It makes sense, but you should take into consideration that not all “pros” (I don’t like that word..) must travel to South Pole, deserts, war zones and other dangerous/harsh places for work.
I see photo journalists carrying around their DX and others using their smartphone to take photos and write pieces for magazines on place: I say “to everyone its own”, if people/customers are happy of the results.
Being a pro does not give you magic powers of camera equipment evaluation, nor does it make your opinion the final word. What an enormously arrogant attitude. I’ve seen some pretty awful work from so called pros, so the term means absolutely nothing.
What is it about EVF that is not detailed or accurate enough? Can your OVF zoom in when manual focussing to enable precise focus, as well as offer focus peaking to assist with that job? Can your OVF offer exposure feedback when composing the shot to assist with accurate exposure? To me that means an EVF is more detailed and accurate.
So pros can’t be working in a studio? Your definition of “pro” needs some work. Btw, the A99 is weather resistant, have you tried it in Antarctica?
with the right amount of $$$$$ im thinking you might be able to have someone hack that together
If more of you guys would be really passionate about photography (= making of photographs) and not so much photo technology, you’d be 10x more relaxed about new models being announced, released or just rumoured.
Truth is, with any of the Nex-5n, 6 or Nex-7 plus 2-3 good lenses one can make wonderful photos. The next big thing won’t save you, not a Nikon, Canon, Fuji and even not the perfect Nex. It will not even make you a better photographer 🙂
It’s because they got nothing to do..
Before the a77 and nex 7 came out I was posting often in SAR, but after they came out I’ve become satisfied and too busy taking pictures with them to mess around here :s
I’m still excited about the new stuff to come though, it’s just less incremental in terms of technology, so forgive them who just got too much time XD
Andrea, a simple question (possible not a simple answer 😛 ) :
Do you have any confirmation wheter or not the FF NEX will have IBIS?
That’s the only thing that matters to me now!
😀
How about your wife/girlfriend, your kids, your career ? 🙂
You might desperately need a NEX FF to compensate for their lack of 🙂
OUCH!!! You don’t need to be so mean!
LOL!
Ok, those are *REALLY* important, as well!!!
So, I’ll reprhase it a little: “Photographically, it’s the only thing that matters to me now!”
Better, guys? Hahahahahaha!
I just don’t understand how a NEX FF is going to revolutionize anything. Will it take substantially better photos, in terms of greatly superior ISO and dynamic range and resolution? I kinda like Sony colours, and hope those will be retained. Even if it does have Olympus IBIS, that won’t be enough – as it wasn’t enough for Olympus to surge forward in sales and compete with Canikon (which was Sony’s stated goal). So, somebody explain why the NEX FF is such a great thing?
Rob, if it won’t for you then it won’t. For me I believe it will revolutionize MY photography because it will allow me to use my full-frame legacy glass with the intended field of view while also giving me better ISO performance and dynamic range in a package that is small and light enough to easily to carry around with me. That may seem trivial to you but for me that’s magic. If it isn’t for you, then start skipping the NEX-FF rumors. I won’t be offended, you won’t be annoyed, and you won’t be missing out on anything because the system has nothing to offer you.
Choice. Isn’t it grand?
Choice IS grand, and in this case Sony cancelled a few incremental updates to their other bodies with the stated intention of focussing on game-changing cameras that will allow them to jump ahead of the competition. What they CHOSE to do was to create a new niche product, which undoubtedly siphoned away precious development energy from the main show. Unless the NEX is a significant improvement over the competition in terms of IQ, then they are not pursuing their stated goal. I’m not so much offended by this as you suggest, but curious why they’d kneecap themselves.
To maximize their R&D investments in the NEX FF, features and advancements will trickle down the line benefitting all users.
Good point C. IF the FF NEX has IBIS (would be grand but I’m personally skeptical) then you can be sure Sony could only do it (regardless of any input from Oly) after developing the full-frame IBIS system in the A900 and then A99. Likewise advances to make the FF NEX fit and handle the head, OSPDAF, etc. will work there way back to the A-mount cameras (that if that’s what Rob means by the “main show”). Perhaps Sony is releasing the FF NEX first BECAUSE they plan on the A-mount cameras on being the top end and they wanted to develop the crucial AF, heat, speed technologies on the FF NEX first.
Sonys UNWAVERING policy is to CLAIM nothing but significant improvements and DELIVER nothing but minor ones.
They can sell you 3 generations of camera instead of one.
Hasselblad rewraps old sony cameras.
Sony rewraps the same old Exmor cmos sensors.
Wow, I never thought that on SAR comments anyone would refer to the things that Leica does every day as a “magic”.
*bows*
Leica’s pricing is far from everyday, however.
Amen Lotus Eater. I will go on record saying that I think Leica’s combination of quality and size is near magic. The new M checks off almost all my boxes but the body alone is $7,000 and is still missing things like first curtain electronic shutter and, yes, the occasional use of AF. So even if I had $7,000 I don’t know if I would go that route.
Skywalker you are very pro-DSLR, that’s great. That was the point of what I was trying to say, why be rude to someone trying make peace?
@Rob: I’m aware of that rumor. But the truth is we don’t know what was diverted where and why or for how long. WE only know changes are coming. It could be the weird QX thing kept the A78 delayed. Or the ILC-3000. Or…well, who knows! For that matter the NEX-7 replacement is also supposedly delayed.
If the rumors are to be believed the Alpha mount is also going mirrorless and that could have as much to do with any delays as developing a new product. I’m sorry you have sour grapes about all this but your paranoia is founded mostly on conjecture (unless Andrea’s sources will repudiate me in which case it is conjecture backed by rumor). I’m not entirely sure what you mean by the “main show”?! Sony makes cameras. They have said they will continue to make cameras. They are rumored to be releasing new cameras. Isn’t the main show?
Indeed. I would love to own an M240, and it’s not even that far out of reach…but cameras depreciate too quickly, and I don’t make much out of prints.
I have the NEX7,6 and an X-E1 for legacy lens, hopefully the FF nex can replace all three at once.
Rude? Sorry if you felt it was rude. I just honestly wanted to point out how rarely it happens on SAR that someone is able to appreciate features Leica has instead of simply bashing it with blind hate for whatever reason it might be.
It was never intended to be a rude post 🙂
Nice backtracking Sky_walker.
It will be a smaller and lighter FF solution, which currently doesn’t exist. Well, except the underfeatured and overpriced Leica. And the reason why m43 can’t compete with Canikon is mostly their marketing, rather than anything else, I believe.
You can make that argument about will cheaper FF sensors revolutionize much for the masses? Yes they have performance benefits but to the majority of people viewing full images on a 22 inch monitor, are they going to see reduced noise and slightly shallower depth of field? Probably not unless they’re staring at 100% mode.
But there is a market for these items and the NEX represents a significantly smaller form factor for a FF camera. For me, I’m using the NEX-7 just because I don’t like the bulk of SLRs. If there’s a similar sized FF, then they have a sale for a 3000 dollar camera that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. From reading the comment boards, it doesn’t seem like I’m alone. The comments also seem equally spread…so there’s just as much excitement about a FF NEX as there is about the next FF SLR
Because as of the moment, the only FF mirrorless body one can buy is the Leica M type 240. While it may be a solid performer on par with the 5d mk3 and A99, it is $7000, and most people don’t want to drop that much money on anything.
Nothing about possible NEX video camera successors to EA50, FS100 and FS700???
+1
What’s new for the NEX VG, FS & EA successors cameras ?
Oops! Forgot about the VG series 😉
I love the ergonomics of the VG series.
This camera has so much potential.
It lacks a dedicated video sensor (less pixel) to remove moire, rolling shutter …
A slightly more efficient codec … it’s frustrating !
All rumour no products 😉
I’d be cautious about “game changing” there is nothing Sony can do to tackle the dominance of Canikon, they’ve failed so far no reason to assume they will work out how to compete with them.
Sony don’t have to be number 1 or 2. They just need to start making a profit in their division.
So far I see them losing money. The lens camera attachment will be canceled by next year. The go pro cam came to the party too late like their Simon Cowell headphones. Kids just want beats audio and go pros.
Nex is the only thing that will probably make them some money but it will be offset by the loses state above.
To summarize what we know about the FF-NEX
– Released with a 35/2.8
– Released with a zoom, not the 16-70 which I think is 3.5-5.6
– Uses a new menu system
– A little bigger in dimensions than a NEX-7
Then in SR2 Land
– Olympus releasing lens it can use and possible a camera. I’m sure this is where the IBIS comes from.
– IBIS
– Zeiss not Sony Zeiss is creating a line of prime lenses for it
– The same sensor as the RX1R
– No EVF but uses RX1 EVF in the hotshoe
– Is an RX?? camera and not a NEX
Whoa! Where did this “same sensor as the RX1R” and “No EVF” come from? Did I miss something?
Last I heard it was rumored Sony was testing new 24, 32, or 36mpx sensors and none of Andrea’s sources knew which one would make it into the final camera. Also why would it be bigger than an NEX-7 and NOT have a built-in EVF. I mean, I think the RX1 should have a built-in EVF, but I get that they cut it out so they could make it smaller.
I think your first three “SR2 Land” points are right though (as right as rumors can be?). If I’m mistaken Andrea please let me know.
Looks like no 5 alpha-mount cameras announce this year?
If The new Qx lenses are announced ON 4th of September , when do you Think they will be at online stores LIKE Amazon, BH Photovideo, etc?